September 2022 | Van Hooser Associates, Inc

Sep 13, 2023

Why & How to Empower Employees

Should you empower employees? Only if you want to build a nimble business. Let me explain. [Watch the Video] My professional journey began with the dawning of the 1980s. And what a volatile time it was! For example, history records that the U.S. inflation rate peaked at 14.76% in April 1980. Correspondingly, the Fed Fund […]

Sep 23, 2022

Why You SHOULD Have That Difficult Conversation at Work

© Can Stock Photo / gstockstudio Is a Difficult Conversation Really the Best Strategy? Most of us were taught early on that honesty is the best policy. But as we grow older and assume more personal and professional responsibility, the scope and breadth of problems we encounter grow more complex. The problems we are responsible […]

Sep 9, 2022

What to Think About BEFORE All-Employee Meetings

Photo by Marcelo Dias Team building can be significantly impacted during all-employee meetings. Usually, leaders have great intentions and hopes when conducting these team meetings. They want to make sure everyone feels celebrated, and they want to be transparent in sharing information. However, sometimes the after-effects of the meeting are less than ideal for team […]

Sep 9, 2021

Talk With People: 6 Steps to Cut Complaints & Build Connection

Use these six communication steps when you talk with people, and watch complaints subside and your relationships improve!

Sep 29, 2020

Managing the Leadership Struggle

I don’t know about you, but I’m missing the pre-pandemic days. Lately, so many of us seem to be struggling. We’re worried about health and safety, job security, childcare, homeschooling, family issues and work-life balance. And those among us managing other people may also be in the middle of a very real leadership struggle. Here […]

Sep 16, 2020

Not Training Leaders? Here’s What You’re Risking

Some people — okay, most people — are pitched into the leadership fray without really knowing how to perform. Some have the potential to lead and have demonstrated great technical expertise. But few naturally possess the leadership skillset to be successful right out of the chute. And unfortunately, studies show most organizations don’t provide much […]

Sep 1, 2020

Leadership Sin

People regularly lose their golden opportunity to lead for one of three reasons. They either don’t recognize, or refuse to stop doing those things followers despise. What leadership sin do employees and followers detest? Keep reading.

Sep 27, 2019

Build Trust Between A Multi-Generation Workforce

When your employees trust you, they will listen, learn, follow, and grow with you long-term. Building trust between a multi-generation workforce requires intentional focus. There are subjects you should and should not talk about, questions you should and should not ask, and actions you must absolutely take. So how do you know what to do […]

Sep 24, 2019

3 Fundamentals for Acknowledging Customers

Why is acknowledging customers so important? The first few seconds of any business encounter set the stage for the business relationship to follow. Use these three fundamental sentences when acknowledging customers to build more purposeful business encounters.